General Guidelines for Safe Working During the COVID-19 Pandemic

ISO/PAS 45005:2020 Occupational Health and Safety Management

Notification: Publication of ISO/PAS 45005:2020 Occupational health and safety management — General guidelines for safe working during the COVID-19 pandemic. ISO/PAS 45005 can be accessed for free online here.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the increased risk this disease presents to the health, safety and well-being of people in all settings, ISO/PAS 45005:2020 was created for guidance on working safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. ISO/PAS 45005:2020 provides a single generic set of guidelines that complements this information and supports the principles that:

  • “reasonable measures to manage the risks arising from COVID-19 are, or will be, implemented to protect the health and safety of workers and other relevant interested parties”;
  • “workers should not be required to work unless these measures have been implemented”.
By implementing the guidance in this document, the organization will be able to:
  1. “take effective action to protect workers and other relevant interested parties from the risks related to COVID-19”;
  2. “demonstrate that it is addressing risks related to COVID-19 using a systematic approach”;
  3. “put in place a framework to enable effective and timely adaptation to the changing situation”.
Companies with an existing management system can use this document by relating the relevant clauses to the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle. “Taking a systems approach facilitates the coordination of resources and efforts that is so important in managing COVID-19″.